


I Know Our Worth

by AGL03



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Hiatus fic, Theory Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 05:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6941116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AGL03/pseuds/AGL03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr Prompt:  Do you think you could write a morally-grey Fitz set during what you expect to happen in season 4, coz he's always been the moral balance, so seeing the one who always makes the reliable decisions go off course is interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Know Our Worth

Fitz couldn’t stop his head from spinning or his heart from pounding in his chest, his world seeming to shatter around him in the last few hours. His arms were securely wrapped around Jemma, her tiny form curled into his chest, hands clutching to his shirt which was still wet from her tears. 

At their feet the source of their devastation. The paper crumpled and tears stained in their shock.

By order of the Director, Agent Jemma Simmons is hereby transferred to Shield Facility 284 due to violation of Section 17 with Agent Leopold Fitz. Transfer is effective….

The rest of the message hadn’t mattered, Jemma running from the lab to Fitz immediately. They new director had been with them for a matter of weeks now, the sweeping changes affecting almost every corner of the base as Shield’s mission shifted seemingly over night. Shields focus was now on finding, containing Inhumans and dealing with the threats posed by them. Coulson had been forced to step down due to decisions he had made regarding Daisy. Clearing her of all wrong doing and then protecting her from the hearings. Daisy violating the one condition that had been imposed upon her and disappeared in the dead of night. Now becoming Shield’s most wanted as she criss crossed the country leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

Of coarse they had known of Section 17, the regulation a non issue for Director Coulson, and had been for the new Director at first. It was only after they had gone digging into their personal files and seen their history that they decided Fitz and Simmons were liablilites to each other and thus Shield. Citing Fitz’s compliance with Hydra and taking them to Maveth as a prime example. “Your tech is too valuable to risk falling into the wrong hands. You can’t deny you wouldn’t do it to save her life. And at the moment we need your skills here more than we need hers” Fitz had been told when he had gone to the Director.

“It’ll be okay Jemma,” Fitz soothed the statement as much for himself as it was for her. “Couslon will call back any minute and we’ll get this all sorted out.” She didn’t say anything, instead gripping his shirt impossibly tighter. 

As if on cue Coulson’s face appeared on the screen, Fitz’s personal computer secure against prying eyes. He was in yet another hotel room, looking haired and tired. He took in the site of them their obvious distress. “What’s wrong?” he said without preamble “Is it Daisy? Is she okay?”

“Daisy is fine,” Fitz assured “But Jemma and I are not.”

Coulson’s attention snapped to them fully, looking them over for signs of injuires. “What happened?”

“Jemma’s been transferred to another base Sir, the Director wants to send her out in a matter of hours,” Fitz said. And to his horror watched Coulson breath a sign of relief. 

“That’s the emergency?” he said his attention wavering off camera for a moment as he addressed one of the agents off screen “Adams, look over that ATM footage again see if we caught her”. 

Coulson’s attention came back to them. “Jemma, listen to the Director, we don’t need a reason for him to pull us back to base and stopping the hunt for Daisy. I’ll be back in a week or so, when I’m back I’ll talk to him and see if we can work something else out. Worst case you’ll have to go a few weeks or more between seeing each other.”

“Sir-” Fitz started feeling fresh tears soaking his shirt not sure if they were his own or Jemma’s. 

Excited voices on Coulson’s end pulled his attention away again. “Fitzsimmons I have to run, we have a lead on her. We’ll work it out when I get home…and Fitz I have a few more ideas for my hand I’d like you to try to incorporate before I go back out again.”

Fitz struggled to speak and was unable to form words, the feeling of betrayal almost overwhelming the feeling of despair, Coulson not noticing and the screen going dark.

Fitz pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, mind frantically working on what to do. They could run, but he didn’t want that life for either of them. Never able to settle down, never able to work, always looking over their shoulders like Daisy, Bobbi, and Hunter. 

“They don’t care about us,” Jemma said her voice broken “they only care about what we can do for them.” Fitz didn’t disagree, having felt this way for awhile now, starting back when Jemma had been taken by the monolith and he found himself practically alone in his search. Having to sneak around behind Coulson’s back for every scrap of information. The feeling worsening after they had been taken by Hydra and that horrible moment in the tents. Hearing Ward take the call from Coulson and Jemma savagely beaten just minutes later. He had gotten the rest of the story a few weeks later from a drunken Hunter. And now, after everything the team had done and sacrificed to save her Daisy running off, Coulson following and leaving the rest of Shield to the new Director’s mercy. 

Fitz had been feeling like a golden goose, expected to turn out tech to deal with the ever growing numbers of Inhumans or improve Couslon’s hand. Tech like the ICERS that helped people, combined efforts of he and Jemma were a thing of the past. 

“They’ve just lost their way a bit,” Fitz finally said not wanting to make her feel any worse. 

“What are we going to do Fitz?” Jemma said cut off again when the screen before them came to life again, this time the face of Doctor Radcliffe appearing. 

They had been working with him for a few months now, on a cure for Hive’s formula, helping the turned Watchdogs and Agents. The man was a force to be reckoned with. And while clearly brilliant and having his heart in the right place. His methods still gave them pause. 

Though both had to admit, it had been ages since someone had given their work the praise and attention he did. He would stay online for hours discussing options. And in their free time discussed using Fitz’s tech to help others, like Coulson who had lost limbs. It would of coarse not have all the bells and whistles but still give someone new life. 

His desk was its usual disaster of tablets and files, he wasn’t looking up at them, rather scribbling notes. “Good you guys are still up, listen I was looking at the sequencing-” he stopped when he finally looked up and saw the state they were in.

“What’s happened?” he demanded “have you been harmed?”

Fitz shook his head, “Not physically,” Fitz said wearily “Jemma has been transferred to another base”.

Fitz didn’t get to finish as Radcliffe made a noise of distress of his own. “What idiot thinks its a good idea to split you two up!” he ranted then paused looking them over. “You two…they can’t do that. Where, where do they want to send her?”

“Another base a few hours North,” Jemma said sitting up and drying her eyes. “But we’ve seen this happen before, to others we were with at the Academy, and Shield slowly starts limiting the communication, refusing leave together, and not allowing for collaboration. Eventually they will transfer Fitz or myself again and not allow for forwarding contact information”. 

“Barbaric, absolutely barbaric” Radcliffe hissed giving them their full and undivided attention. “I told you on your last visit that your talents were being wasted and I would take you both in a heartbeat. Here you would have the lab of your dreams. Your inventions would get to people who need it not just super soldiers or the privilaged few Shield feels is deserving of your gifts. Your inventions would not be perverted into weapons of war”. 

Radcliffe had made the offer many times in fact over the past few months, and every time the pair had politely declined. But now, now was another matter all together. “And I would most certainly never split you up”. 

Fitz squeezed Jemma’s hand, the two sharing a look, and a decision was made in a matter of seconds. “Shield will never let us go,” Fitz said “the Director made it clear he wants my work still.”

Radcliffe offered a small smile, “Allow me to handle that. If I can get you here to my lab, you can ask for Sanctuary, I have some pull within the government, and you will have both their and my protection. Shield will not be able to touch you without causing an international incident.” 

“Unless you are planning on kidnapping us from the base, I don’t see how we can get there to ask for it,” Jemma said feeling the pull of hopelessness again. “We aren’t scheduled to meet with you in person for at least another month, I am to leave in a matter of hours. And in that time I’ll bet the Director will have one of us replaced on the project.”

Fitz picked up flawlessly in a way that always brought a small smile to the Doctors face, “They will be watching for us to run. There is a patrol going by my door every five minutes and they locked down the garage and the hanger.” 

Radcliffe broke into a cheshire smile, “If I had a ‘breakthrough’ that demanded your immediate personal attention. If I can get Shield to send you, will you allow me to protect you. Keep you here safe with me. Together, I promise I would never do anything as foolish as to split you two up. Never, not professionally not personally.” 

There wasn’t a second of hesitation “Yes,” they said. The simple phrase setting in motion the end of a decade of dedication to Shield. 

“Pack your bags,” Radcliffe said. “I will be calling your new Director whatever his name is and the mustached wonder and tell them I have had a major breakthrough, demanding your presence immediately. General scary should be enough to ensure your Director complies. You’ll be here by dawn.”

“Thank you Doctor”

“I don’t know what to say,” they started and he held up his hands. 

“Think nothing of it, you are brilliant you and your creations deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Expect the call to move out with in the hour and be ready to move out. I’m afraid that doesn’t allow you to salvage much from your labs but you can replicate most everything once you are settled here.”

The screen went dark and the pair sat in silence for a few moments before turning to each other. In a bit of disbelief over what they had agreed to do. “Are we really doing it?” Jemma asked.

Fitz took one last glance down at the transfer papers, “We said we’d never allow ourselves to be ripped apart again. Radcliffe may have his, draw backs, but he won’t do this to us. Besides we have done far worse things in the name of Shield.” 

Jemma leaned forward and embraced him in a quick kiss, wishing they had more time. But an hour wasn’t much time to decide what to take. If they took much more than overnight bags someone might get suspicious, meaning only essentials could come along. 

Their packing was made easier since she had practically already moved into Fitz’s bunk. She carefully selected pictures and momentos of their travels. Clothes could be replaced, but not items like the quilt Fitz’s mother had made for her in their second year at Sci Ops. Or her favorite sweater of Fitz’s she had claimed as her own since he didn’t wear them anymore. 

“Everything in the lab,” She said sadly watching as Fitz dumped his collection of thumb drives, all the physical back ups of their research into his bag. “I just wish we could at least save the Dwarves.”

Fitz actually smiled for the first time in hours, going into the back of the closet and pulling out a now very battered case. “I have them here…started doing it after Daisy borrowed the prototype without asking a few months ago. I didn’t want to risk it happening again and them falling into the wrong hands like the Watchdogs or ATCU.”

“Oh Fitz!” Jemma cried pulling him in for another kiss. He happily reciprocated before pulling away. 

“I couldn’t bear if anything happened to them,” he said. He reluctantly pulled away wrapping each of the tiny devices in one of his shirts, the case would have brought too much attention. 

“Should we at least leave notes?” Jemma asked “For Coulson, Mack, and May at least?”

Fitz shook his head, “We can’t risk someone finding them before we get our sanctuary…I’ll figure out how to get messages to them after. Bobbi and Hunter as well.” Jemma agreed grabbing one of the pictures they didn’t’ have a digital copy of. The pair of them in front of the temple in Peru what seemed like a lifetime ago now. 

Within 45 minutes they were done, a decade packed into two overnight bags, and at first blush the room looking as if its owner intended to return within a few days. Fitz reached behind his desk and pulled out a red thumb drive from where he had hidden it.

“What is that?” Jemma asked “You already packed up all of our research.” 

Fitz looked up sadly “Insurance,” He said softly sinking down onto the bed next to her. Fitzsimmons Data Back Up TOP SECRET was written in Fitz’s messy scrawl across the front. “I made this after Real Shield…while you were gone….After Gonzalez was so, creepy, with us I was worried that our research would fall into the wrong hands. Someone would take advantage of what we’d done. 

Especially if we were no longer around to keep watch. If they plug this in, thinking they are getting our research, when in fact it does the opposite, every bit of our work since the Academy will be wiped from the system.” 

Jemma gasped looking at the drive. 

“I have the back ups, so we will still have it,” Fitz said quickly “I would never throw that away. But Jemma, I don’t want to leave them with anything I don’t have too. They will have some of the prototypes but they will be practically useless without the research. I don’t want this new Director or anyone else to pervert what we’ve done. Not after what they’ve done to us…how they’ve treated us…” He trailed off biting his lip, Jemma wrapping a supportive arm around him. 

She gently tipped his chin up, “Fitz, this isn’t the Shield we signed up for. This isn’t the team we stepped on to the Bus with. Neither of us have had a good feeling about what has been going on here for a long time. I think we were just too afraid to admit it. Besides your not deploying the device, they will do it themselves if their greed gets the better of them”. 

There was a knock at the door causing them both to start. Jemma moved quickly hiding the luggage as Fitz opened to the door to see a fresh faced young agent standing there. “Agent Fitz, Agent Simmons, the Director wanted me to inform you that Doctor Racliffe had a break through and you are required to fly to meet him immediately, your Quin Jet departs in thirty minutes. Agent Simmons, your transfer will move forward immediately upon your return. Agent Fitz he also requests that you have the plans for the new weapons systems on the Quin Jets ready for him to review upon your return.”

Any guilt Fitz had evaporated in that instant. “Of coarse, thank you Agent Burton,” he said the young man scampered away, eager to complete his mission. 

Closing the door once more he ‘hid’ the drive again, this time in a more obvious place that the agents were sure to find when the ransacked his quarters when they failed to return. 

“We really are just assets to them aren’t we,” Jemma said sadly. Fitz could only nod taking one last took around this room for the last time. Ensuring whatever was left could be replaced. His eyes falling on Jemma as he completed his sweep, truly the only thing in his life he could not life without. 

“Ready for a new journey?” he asked holding out his hand.

Jemma took it, “With you? Anywhere”

*******

Three days later Doctor Radcliffe watched the pair working in their new lab, heads pressed together on their latest project. Fitz placing a playful kiss on her cheek and eliciting a bright smile from her. He couldn’t have been more thrilled to have the pair on board. Now out of the grasp of Shield once and for all. 

He was surprised that he hadn’t heard from the former Director Coulson by now, demanding for them to come home, though based on the news Daisy had made quite a mess of a series of banks in Portland the night before. Radcliffe wondered if he even realized he had lost them yet. 

“Doctor,” Aida’s gentle voice called, “The Director is on the line.” 

Radcliffe smiled, pressing the button under desk that would secure his room and the line. “Director, so nice to hear form you. I trust that you are happy with our arrangement.”

Coulson’s successor was on the other end of the line “I am Doctor, though I still feel I got the better end of the deal here. Scientists are a dime a dozen and surely not worth the sum of money you so graciously sent to me.”

The man was a utter fool thinking that Fitz and Simmons had a value, an actual monetary value. “However,” the Director continued “Agent Fitz left us with a parting gift, one that cost me everything we had from them to date. I require some more compensation for the…inconvenience.”

Radcliffe rolled his eyes, pressing a few buttons and transferring another large sum without second thought. “That should cover it and then some. I will forward another bonus if you can manage to keep their former team mates from noticing their absence for another week.” Radcliffe wanted them to feel completely abandoned by those they had once seen as family. And he knew that they were monitoring the former Directors communications for word that Daisy was okay. 

“I will send him on another false lead for the girl,” The Director said and disconnecting the line. 

Radcliffe poured himself a large scotch with a smile on his face, turning his attention back to his new acquisitions. Still happily engrossed in their work, “Aida my dear, send word to the chef and staff. I want only the best tonight for there is much to celebrate, Leopold and Jemma will be with us for the foreseeable future.” 

End


End file.
